LOS ANGELES – The only surviving cow among a group of 40 cattle that escaped from a Pico Rivera slaughterhouse made it to her new home in a southern California agricultural shelter, where she will live her days in peace, authorities said Sunday.
“The unnamed cow is very indecisive and fearful of humans, which is not surprising considering everything that has happened,” Farm Sanctuary posted in Acton on Sunday.
“She will likely calm down as the days go by and come to recognize that we are not going to hurt her, although she may never get fully close to humans. But that’s one of the best parts of Sanctuary: we don’t force her to spend time with us; we allow it to be”.
“She will also have a routine 30-day quarantine period to make sure she is healthy and doesn’t have anything that she can pass on to our other residents. However, these first few days are just for her to settle in.”
The shelter said the cow arrived at the facility on Saturday.
Chaos in Pico Rivera
Forty cows escaped Tuesday night when an employee mistakenly left a door open. The animals stampeded through residential streets, causing some property damage.
The cows escaped around 7:30 pm The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Pico Rivera Station received a call from loose cows on city streets.
The cows were on the loose for hours, roaming residential neighborhoods and evading capture.
Sheriff’s agents managed to catch 38 of the cattle, one was shot dead and another was still at large.
One of the cows attacked a family of four, knocking some of them to the ground, according to the sheriff’s department. The relatives were taken to a local hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries.
“To protect the family from further injury, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed the animal,” according to the department.
Slaughter of the remaining cows
Meanwhile, despite offers from other sanctuaries to provide a home for some of the other cows that briefly escaped from the slaughterhouse, the other animals were slaughtered for meat, company officials said.
“I am in the meat business. The animals were collected. Keep in mind that they were bred for the public to consume,” Anthony Di Maria, president of Manning Beef LLC, told City News Service.
Pico Rivera City Manager Steve Carmona said Thursday that the city had been speaking with Manning Beef about the possibility of moving all escaped cows to a sanctuary.
The cows were on the loose for hours, roaming residential neighborhoods and evading capture.
Carmona said that the city had “several people who came, other sanctuaries and also individuals, who offered to donate to acquire these animals. We will facilitate the dialogue with the owner to see if that can happen ”.
But Di María said Saturday that only one cow would be donated.
He added that he has donated both mother and calf “on numerous occasions” to sanctuaries in the past when a pregnant animal is delivered to the facility.
“We have feelings as humans for animals,” Pico Rivera city councilor Erik Lutz told reporters on Thursday. “It’s ironic, but yeah, we have to eat, and in a couple of hours I imagine all of you will be hungry too.”
Carmona added that Pico Rivera “obviously will not allow any future slaughterhouse to exist” in the city.
Vigil for slaughtered cows
A leading animal rights group on Wednesday expressed regret over the recapture of the animals.
“These cows ‘desperate search for freedom should have been recognized by moving them to a sanctuary, where they could have bonded with other rescued cows, suckled their calves in peace, and lived their lives just as you and I hope to do,” said PETA President Ingrid Newkirk.
“PETA invites everyone who applauded his escape or mourned his death to extend that compassion to all cows, and all other animals, by going vegan.”
Activists and community members supported the release and survival of the forty cows that escaped last Tuesday from a Pico Rivera trail at a vigil Thursday night.
About 40 protesters gathered outside the slaughterhouse in the 9500 block of Beverly Road Thursday night. to advocate for the freedom of cows, and Manning Beef’s Facebook page contained several posts this week from members of the public urging the company to save the animals’ lives.
“While it seems that it should be simple to donate an animal to a sanctuary, strict but important regulations that exist to keep animals and humans safe apply in the situation. We are in the process of releasing the last cow found,” the company posted early Saturday.
The company also said its owner was injured during the original effort to retrieve the animals.
“The owner broke his hip while helping to round up the cattle. While his surgery today was successful, he is still in a lot of pain and will face a long road to recovery,” the post said.
Rescue of the last cow
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials received a call Thursday, shortly after 4 a.m., about the last cow sighting.
The agents managed to find the animal, around 6 am, near Rosemead Boulevard and Highway 60.
The last cow in a herd to escape from a meat processing plant in Pico Rivera was caught early Thursday morning.
That animal was sent to Farm Sanctuary thanks to the efforts of songwriter Diane Warren and the Animal Alliance Network.
“Watching these cows escape their horrible fate broke my heart,” Warren said. “They knew what awaited them. They are intelligent, empathetic and beautiful souls.”
Farm Sanctuary will reopen to the public for tours on July 10. Food will be available for purchase presented by the Vegan Street Fair and featuring Vegan Hooligans and Happy Ice, and visitors will have the opportunity to meet other Manning Beef survivors.